Australia’s cricket coach, Ricky Ponting, whilst talking about Tim Paine’s sexting scandal, says it will be a distraction for the Australian cricket players for the five-match Ashes Test series.

Notably, after Paine resigned from Test captaincy following the sexting scandal as messages got leaked, the team stands with him despite being shocked over the synopsis. They are fully behind him to progress as the skipper for the Ashes Test series regardless of his leaked messages to a former female co-worker at Cricket Tasmania in 2017.

It is to be noted that the players came to know about his retirement half an hour before he made the decision public during Friday’s press conference.

He stood down in a conference at Hobart 19 days before the first Test of the Ashes and realized the investigations are going to be public – A tearful Paine, then revealed his ‘retirement as Test skipper’.

Ponting, highlighting the issue, says Paine has messed things up for himself. He stated the former Test captain will now have to answer relevant queries anywhere he goes.

Ricky Ponting talks about Tim Paine’s sexting scandal

“I think it inevitably will (be a distraction). He’s made a huge call for himself, for Australian cricket, and the betterment of the Australian cricket team. But it’s not going to go away,” Ponting said.

“As much as we would all love to see it go away and there comes a point where it’s never talked about, it’s inevitable that it’s going to be there.

“Unfortunately for Tim, he’s going to get asked about it everywhere he goes. It will blow over and hopefully, it passes in enough time to have some really good clear headspace going into Brisbane (for the first Test).”

It is pertinent to mention that Cricket Australia are set to take on England in the first game of the Ashes Test series at Gabba on 8th December 2021.

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